Pilot killed in Ohio crash with 5 others, including University of Michigan graduate

AP Photo Investigators look over the scene of a plane crash that claimed six lives Sunday in Fremont, Ohio.

FREMONT, Ohio -- Gene Damschroder Sr. made his name in politics, but that wasn't his first love.

The World War II seaplane pilot never passed on a chance to go up in the air -- whether it was teaching someone how to fly or taking them on their first flight.

Damschroder, 86, was doing both when his 1968 Cessna crashed Sunday, killing all six people onboard.

AP Photo
Pilot Gene Damschroder Sr. and his five passengers died when his single-engine Cessna crashed Sunday.

The former state lawmaker's plane went down just after taking off at a tiny airport Damschroder owned. The plane landed in a grassy field about a mile beyond the runway.

The National Transportation Safety Board took over the crash investigation Monday.

"We'll photo-document the scene, take various measurements of the ground scarring and the debris path. And then we'll focus in more on the aircraft systems," said Mitchell Gallo, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator.

Damschroder had offered rides on the plane following a charity breakfast where pilots fly to Fremont Airport and show off their planes. What caused his plane to crash hasn't been determined.

Among the victims were Danielle Gerwin, 31, and her 4-year-old daughter Emily Gerwin who was taking her first flight.

The girl was fascinated by airplanes and thrilled just before the flight, said family members. Her father, Charlie, her 10-year-old brother, three grandparents and a great-grandmother all watched her climb onto the plane and wave back at them.

The flight was a surprise for Emily, who lived in Gibsonburg.

"We had to not tell her that's where we were going (Sunday) just in case the line got too long or they weren't letting 4-year-olds on," her father said.

Damschroder taught Bill Ansted how to fly and helped him get his pilot's license. His daughter was a sky diver. Clearman lived in Maumee and had graduated from the University of Michigan.

Damschroder was a farmer much of his life. His passion, though, was flying.

He built and operated the Fremont airport, opening it in 1963.

A Republican, he served in the Ohio House from 1973 to 1983. He even campaigned in his plane, towing a sign with his name on it.

His son, Rex Damschroder, later held the same seat from 1995 to 2003.

Gene Damschroder attempted a political comeback this year by running for his old House seat but lost in the Republican primary in March. He said at the time that he ran because so many people were encouraging him to take another shot at the office.

Damschroder was a strict conservative in a heavily Republican area of northwest Ohio.

During his time in office, he proposed sterilizing fathers who refused to pay child support and gave back a raise because he thought legislators were overpaid.

Rex Damschroder said his father still flew every day and was in good health. He doesn't think health or age played a role in the crash.

"Gene was the kind of guy who lived and breathed flying," said Ken Dumminger, an aerial photographer who worked with him for years. "He wanted people to experience his avocation."